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Quick Hits: Nunez, Scouts, Pujols, Indians

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Links for Sunday evening as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 7-4 in 14 innings.  The Rays now sit one game back in the wild-card hunt with a three game set against the Bombers to go..

  • Marlins reliever Edward Mujica hopes that the club gives the closer formerly known as Leo Nunez another chance, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.  Nunez, or Juan Carlos Oviedo, is arbitration eligible and it’s unclear whether the club is required to tender him a 2012 contract before the December 12 deadline.
  • There's going to be some big name players on the open market this winter but there are also going to be some important scouts available for hire, Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes (on Twitter).  Among those available are Gary Hughes (Cubs), Larry Corrigan (Pirates), Bryan Lambe (Mets), Keith Champion (Pirates), and Wayne Krivsky (Mets).
  • No one knows for sure if Albert Pujols will wind up with a new club this offseason, but Cubs slugger Carlos Pena believes that he'll stay with the Cardinals, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
  • This season, the Indians drew 1.84MM in 81 home games, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  That figure marks an increase of 450K from last season.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Jason Rice, Juan Perez

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Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here, starting with a pair of moves courtesy of the International League transactions page…

  • The Indians have outrighted Jason Rice to Triple-A. The 25-year-old had been designated for assignment earlier this month, soon after Cleveland claimed him off waivers from the Athletics, who had acquired him from the Red Sox for Conor Jackson. Rice posted a 3.69 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 85 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.
  • The Phillies have outrighted Juan Perez to Triple-A. The 33-year-old lefty pitched to a 5.70 ERA in 36 1/3 Triple-A innings this season, and was generally ineffective in five appearances with the big league team. He was designated for assignment last weekend as part of a flurry of roster moves.

Ohio Notes: Thome, Jimenez, Willis, Reds

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As the Indians celebrate Jim Thome Night at Progressive Field, it's only fitting that the veteran slugger provide the party's highlight.  Thome hit his 15th homer of the year (and 604th of his career) this evening, which led to an obligatory curtain call for the Cleveland fans.

Here's the latest about the Indians and Reds, including one item about Thome himself…

  • Thome says he's physically capable of playing another season, reports The Associated Press.  Thome says he'll discuss things with his family this winter and he currently isn't leaning one way or the other towards retirement.
  • Ubaldo Jimenez has regressed from his 2010 form, but MLB.com's Jordan Bastian argues that it is far too early for Tribe fans to give up on the right-hander.
  • Dontrelle Willis "would love" to pitch for the Reds in 2012 and praised the organization for giving him a chance to resurrect his career, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Willis is an intriguing veteran depth option for any team, and since his asking price won't be too exorbitant, it wouldn't be a shock to see him re-sign in Cincinnati.
  • The Reds' coaches will all return in 2012, Walt Jocketty tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

Quick Hits: Crisp, Patton, Yankees, Indians

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On this date in 1983, Steve Carlton of the Phillies won the 300th game of his career. The Phillies don't have any 300 game winners on their staff at this point, but it won't be surprising if one or two of their pitchers join Carlton in Cooperstown one day. Here are some links for Friday…

  • Coco Crisp told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that he's looking for a winning team, a location he likes and a good "financial situation" when he decides where to sign this offseason (link via the Boston Herald). The 31-year-old California native says he enjoys playing in Oakland and believes the A's have a chance to win in 2012.
  • The Orioles placed Troy Patton on the restricted list yesterday, according to MLB.com's Transactions Page. The left-hander left the team for a court-appointed orientation class that's related to his offseason DUI arrest, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He should re-join the team in Detroit today.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Bob Klapisch of the Record that he's "comfortable but not expectant" of a new contract after the season, when his current deal with the Yankees expires. Klapisch says Cashman has earned another contract.
  • Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made the case for bringing Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona to the Indians next year. Though there are arguments in favor of each player, it's not easy to get excited about "the prospect of continued uncertainty."

Rosenthal On Moneyball

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to a slew of top executives about Moneyball, with the movie coming out Friday.  Here are a few highlights.

  • Executives Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) and Mark Shapiro (Indians) agree that the stark line drawn by the 2003 book between scouting and statistics is not present today.  I've yet to find a baseball executive who doesn't prefer a blend.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman admits that the Red Sox "were having a great deal of success with players of lesser ability," adding, "I studied what they were doing to some degree, adjusted accordingly, brought the Yankees up to speed, brought us into the 21st century."
  • Shapiro, president of the Indians, expects further dominance of big-market teams in the next five to seven years.  He added, "That doesn’t preclude small-market teams from winning. But they’re going to go in and out, go through cycles of winning, then violently remaking their rosters." 
  • Paul DePodesta told Rosenthal he thinks the explosion of information in baseball would have happened without Moneyball, but Cashman and Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. noted that they were pleased to see Oakland's methods revealed in the book.
  • Braves president John Schuerholz doesn't think so-called Moneyball teams have been successful, saying, "I think everyone looked and I don’t think many considered it a better mousetrap. You look at the won-loss records of the teams that adopted and the teams that didn’t, I don’t think you’ll find much of a difference in the impact."
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin is losing some faith, based on "some bad experiences with possible deals that I might have made based off numbers."
  • Athletics GM Billy Beane believes injuries represent a current opportunity, if a team can create an advantage in prevention and treatment.  DePodesta noted that inefficiencies arise every five or six years, when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

Quick Hits: Thome, Indians, Byrdak, Mets

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Sunday night linkage..

  • It's exceedingly rare for the Mets to grant an in-season extension to anyone, but Tim Byrdak was aggressive and approached the team with the idea, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. 
  • However, it doesn't sound like more extensions with veterans are in the works, Martino tweets.  General Manager Sandy Alderson stressed that locking up a lefty reliever was special circumstance.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti believes that Jim Thome can be a productive player in 2012, should he decide to continue playing, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
  • Even though Indians rookie Jason Kipnis appears to have the starting role at second base locked up for next season, he does not plan on thinking that way, writes Bastian.

Indians Notes: Sizemore, Carmona, Thome, Cabrera

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The Indians may have had their playoff hopes dashed by the Tigers, but with a strong performance over the next week and a half, they'll still finish the season with a winning record. Cleveland sends Justin Masterson to the hill against the Twins today, looking to finish off a sweep and get back to .500. Before they get underway at Target Field, let's check out a few Tribe-related links….

Central Notes: Indians, La Russa, Verlander

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A few links to pass along regarding clubs in the Central divisions …

Indians Notes: Shapiro, Carrasco, Santana

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On this date in 1997, Jim Thome hit his 40th homer of the season for the Indians, who went on to win the American League pennant. Here's the latest on the current version of the Indians, who have a 0.0% chance of returning to the postseason this year, according to Baseball Prospectus' playoff odds report…

  • Indians president Mark Shapiro hasn't had contact with the Cubs about their open GM job, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shapiro is involved in making the Indians more successful on and off the field and appears to be happy in his role, Hoynes writes. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported yesterday that the former GM might be intrigued by the Cubs job.
  • The Indians announced that Carlos Carrasco had Tommy John surgery in New York City today, as Dr. David Altchek repaired the ulnar collateral ligament in Carrasco’s right elbow. Recovery time is generally a year or more, so the Indians won’t be counting on Carrasco in 2012.
  • Indians manager Manny Acta told Todd Wills of MLB.com that Jeanmar Gomez will be a name to consider for next year's rotation. Gomez has allowed just three earned runs in 17 1/3 innings since being recalled from Triple-A at the end of August.
  • Carlos Santana could be a long-term solution behind the plate or at first base, Acta told Wills. The Indians' decision will depend, in part, on others, such as Matt LaPorta.
  • The 26-year-old LaPorta has had his chances. In what amounts to two full seasons, he has 30 homers and a .234/.300/.394 line. He has always destroyed minor league pitching, but he hasn't helped the big league club nearly as much as expected.

Stark On Tigers, Shapiro, Buehrle, Oswalt, Rays

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Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that the current version of the Tigers is significantly different than the team that started the season with a 12-17 mark. Rival executives agree that the Tigers, winners of ten straight, wouldn’t be fun to face in a playoff series at this point. Here’s Stark’s latest: 

  • People close to Indians president Mark Shapiro tell Stark that the longtime GM would be “intrigued” by the Cubs’ GM job. Shapiro’s associates say he’s happy in Cleveland, but suggest he’d listen if Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts came calling. Shapiro declined comment and there’s no indication that the Cubs have spoken to him.
  • A friend of Mark Buehrle's doesn’t believe the left-hander would retire after the season, when he is set to hit free agency. Buehrle would have been open to pitching for the Cardinals, but they have a full rotation set up for 2012, assuming they exercise Adam Wainwright’s options.
  • White Sox officials have been saying they need to cut payroll, according to Stark. Like the Cardinals, they have five starters under team control for 2012 even without Buehrle.
  • The Phillies aren’t likely to exercise Roy Oswalt’s $16MM option, but other than that the right-hander’s future remains unclear. He is another pitcher who has expressed interest in St. Louis, but it’s not a likely fit given the Cardinals’ depth. Oswalt doesn’t want to pitch in the American League or for a non-contender, according to Stark. 
  • The Marlins won’t be able to obtain manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox unless they’re willing to part with a “big-time player.”
  • It appears that the Rays are open to the idea of bringing Johnny Damon back for another season.
  • Aaron Rowand wants to play in 2012, though he isn’t likely to return this season. He’ll be looking for the opportunity to pick up regular at bats next year, according to Stark.
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